Wrench



R. LEE. WRENCH.` APPLICATION F`ILED `JAN. 30, 1920.

Patented July 13, 1920. W

UNITED STATES RALPH LEE, 0F MEDICINE BOW, WYOMING.

, WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13,1920.

Application led January 30, 1920. Serial No. 355,019.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Medicine Bow, in the county of Carbon and State of Wyoming, have invented a new and useful Wrench, of which the following is a specicat1on.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is' a wrench, and the object of the invention is to provide a wrench of the worm gear type which may be elongated or shortened at will, thereby rendering the device of use in places where room is restricted, and under conditions in which the operator stands at considerable distance from the nut of another object which is being rotated.

z The invention a'ims to provide novel means' for connecting the shaft sections, to provide novel means for supporting' the shaft sections for rotation, and, generally, to improve and to enhance the utility of devices of that ty e to which the invention appertains.

gVith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section, a wrench constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being left in elevation; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; F iff. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1; ig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4 4, Fig. 1: Fig. 5 is a detail enlarged from Fig. 1 and showing the means whereby certain of the shaft sections are connected; and Fig. G is a detail enlarged from Fig. 1 and disclosing one of the dogs and attendant parts. The device forming the subject matter of this application includes a support comprising a tubular body 1 having a laterally ofi"- set drum-like side member 2 provided with a flange 3. An annular retainer 4 is threaded into the side member 2, as indicated in Fig. 2. A tubular extension 5 is threaded at 6 into the body 1, a tubular extension 7 being threaded at 8 into the eXtension 5. There may be any number of the extensions 7, and, therefore, the wrench may be of any desired length. A tubular member 9 is threaded at 10 into the extension 7, the end member 9 having an internal shoulder 12.

A worm wheel 14 is mounted to rotate in the drum-like side member 2 and has reduced ends 15 mounted to rotate within the annular retainer 4 and within the flange 3, the teeth 16 of the worm wheel being disposed between the parts 3 and 4. Obviously,

the construction is such, as above described,

that the worm wheel 14 is held rotatably within the side member 2. The worm wheel 14 has a central opening 17 in which'a socket 18 is movably seated and held against rotation independently of the worm wheel. The socket 18 has an aperture 19 of any desired shape, depending upon the contour of the object which is to be rotated. In practice, any desired number of sockets 18 may be supplied, the openings 19 therein being shaped differently to correspond with the work in hand. In the side of the socket 18, aseat 20 is fashioned, the same being adapted to receive one end of a retaining bolt 21 mounted for right line reciprocation in a recess 22 fashioned in the worm wheel 14, the worm Wheel having a slot 23 communieating with the recess, and the bolt 21 being supplied with a inoer piece 24 mounted to move in the slot. compression spring 25 is located in the recess 22, to the rear of the retaining bolt 2l and serves to advance the retaining bolt, so that the same will coperate with the seat 20 in the socket 18 and hold the latter in place. The retaining bolt 2l may be retracted by means of the fingerpiece 24, and then one socket may be substituted for another, in the opening 17 of the worm wheel 14.

A bearing 26 is threaded into the body 1 intermediate the ends thereof, and is held in place by a set screw 27, carried by the body. A bearing 28 is threaded into the end of the body and is held by a set screw 29, the bearing 28 being supplied with a recess 30. A shaft section 31 is journaled for rotation in the bearing 26, the extremity of the shaft section being received for rotation in the recess 30 of the bearing 28. The shaft 31 includes a worm 32 coperating with the teeth 16 of the worm wheel 14. Washers 33 surround the shaft 31 at the ends of the Worm ido ' 32 and abut thereagainst. Anti-friction balls 34 are interposed between the washers 33 on the one hand, andthe bearings 28 and 26 on the other hand, the balls, obviously, serving to take care of the end thrust incident to operating the shaft section 31.. The shaft section 31 terminates" at one end in a squared tip 35. 1 y s The polygonaltip 35 of the shaft section 31 .is received in a socket 36 formed on one end of a shaft -section 37 The polygonal tip 35 of the shaft section 31 is supplied with transverse seats 38, receiving the inner ends of ydogs 39y mounted for right line reciprocation in the socket 36 of the shaft section 37. Spring strips 41 extend longitudinal of the socket 36. and are attached by securing elements 40 to the other ends of the dogs 39. These spring strips 41 tend to retract the dogs 39 out of the seats 38, the spring strips being attached at their ends by securing members 42 to the socket 36. 'The socket 36 and the spring strips 41 are surrounded by a ring 43, the ring being slidabl mounted on the parts above alluded to. Vhen the ring 43 is advanced, the spring strips 41 are swung inwardly, and the dogs 39 are moved inwardly so as to coact with the seats 38. When, however, the ring 43 is slid rearwardly, the strips 41 spring outwardly, and retract the dogs 39 out of engagement with the seats 38.

An end piece 44 is threaded into the head 11 of the tubular end member 9, a washer 45 being interposed between the end piece and the shoulder 12. The numeral 46 denotes a short shaft section journaled for rotation in the end piece 44 and provided with a socket 47 adapted to receive a polygonal tip 48 on the shaft section 37. The tip 48 is supplied with transverse seats 49 adapted to receive the inner ends of dogs 50 suplied at their outer ends with heads 51.

ompression springs 52 surround the dogs 50 and are interposed between the heads 51 and the socket 47. The springs 52 tend to retract the dogs 50 out of engagement with the seats 49. Operating members 53 are mounted for right line sliding movement in the end piece 44 and are beveled at their yinner ends, as indicated at 54, to coperate with the heads 51 of the dogs 50: Externally of the end piece 44, the dogs are supplied with enlargements 55, whereby the dogs may be retracted. A handle 56 is mounted to slide transversely in the exposed end of the short shaft section 46 and is supplied at one end with a grip 57, the other end of the handle bearing an abutment 58.

The handle 56 may be slid in the direction of its length in the short shaft section 46, thereby adjusting the leverage afforded by the handle, and adapting the tool to the space in which it is to be used. The-short shaft sectionY 46 may be rotated by means of the handle 56, rotation being imparted by the socket .47 and the tip 48 to the shaft section 37. From the shaft section 37, rotation is imparted by the socket 36 and the tip 35 to the shaft section 31. The shaft section 31 effects a rotation of the worm 32 and the worm, coperating with the teeth 16 of the worm ,wheel `14, rotates the worm wheel in the side member 2, the socket 18 being rotated, along with the worm wheel. The operation above described, obviously, will result in the rotation of a nut or other object which may be engaged in the aperture 19 of the socket 18. The socket 18 may be removed from the worm wheel 14 by retracting the bolt 21 in the manner hereinbefore'described.

Since there may be any desired number of tubular extensions 7, and any desired number of shaft sections 37, the wrench may be elongated or shortened at will, within any reasonable limits. If desired, the tubular extension 7 and the shaft section 37 may be dispensed with, the end member 9 under such-circumstances being engaged directly with the part 5). When the ring 43 is slid backwardl the spring strips 41 are released, an the same will retract the dogs 39 out of the seats 38. In this way, the shaft section 37 ma be detached from the shaft section 31. hen the operating members 53 are thrust inwardly, the beveled ends 54 thereof, coperating with the heads 51 of the dogs 50, advance the dogs, and cause the same to engage with the seats 49. Thus, the short shaft section 46 may be connected operatively with the shaft section 37 When the dogs 50 are retracted, by means of the enlargements 55, the springs 52, coperating with the heads 51 of the dogs, retract the dogs out'of the seats 49 and permit the shaft members 46 and 37 to be separated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A wrench comprising a tubular body having a side extension; a worm wheel journaled in the extension and having means for engaging an object to be rotated; a plurality of 'tubular extensions having their ends detachably connected, one extension being detachably connected with Athe body; a shaft journaled in the body and in the extensions and comprising separable parts; a worm carried by the shaft and cooperating With the worm wheel; and means.

external to the extensions for imparting rotation to the shaft.

2. In a Wrench, a shaft comprising sections, one of which is provided with a socket, the other of which is provided with a tip received in thefsocket; a dog slidabletransversely in the socket and coperating with the t1p; a spring strip attached at one end to the socket and attached at the other end to the dog, the strip constituting means for retracting the dog; a ring slidable on the socket and inclosing the strip, the ring coacting with the strip to advance the dog for engagement with the tip; a support wherein the shaft is journaled, the support having a side extension; a Worm Wheel journaled in the extension and provided with means for engaging an object to be rotated; and a Worm on one ofthe shaft sections, the Worm coperating with the Worm Wheel.

3. In a Wrench, a tubular ,support having a lateral extension; a Worm Wheel journaled in the extension and having means for engaging an object to be rotated; a shaft 1ocated in the support and comprising separable parts, one of said parts carrrying a Worm coperating with the Worm Wheel, one of the sections of the shaft having a tip, and

another of the sections of the shaft having a socket receiving the tip; an end member assembled with the support and receiving the last specified shaft section for rotation; a dog slidable in the socket and engaging the tip; spring means for retracting the dog; and means for advancing the dog, said means embodying an operating element mounted for right line reciprocation in the end member and beveled at its inner end to coperate With the dog.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

RALPH LEE.

Witnesses:

' B. C. BARBER,

W. P. TINKBINER. 

